President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Dec. 6, and said at the time that Pence would visit to "reaffirm our commitment" to America's "partners throughout the Middle East." The move upended decades of U.S. policy, sparked uproar among world leaders and triggered accusations that it jeopardized the prospects of Middle East peace.

Palestinians have sought East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state.

Following Trump’s Jerusalem announcement, Palestinian leaders said they would refuse to meet with Pence. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement also called for protests.

“Most Palestinians think that he’s coming to Israel to provoke the Palestinians — and the entire Muslim world which views Jerusalem as a holy place,” independent Palestinian analyst and researcher Naief Abo Sharkeia said before the trip was initially delayed. “The Americans know the Palestinian and Arab world feels this way, so why send a senior U.S. official now?”

Pence's deputy chief of staff said that when the trip is rescheduled the vice president will still go to Egypt, where he was previously scheduled to meet with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Pence's earlier itinerary included a speech to the Israeli Parliament as well as a visit the Western Wall, which is in the city’s sensitive eastern sector.

Such a visit would make it clear that the U.S. believes “already now that the Western Wall is part of Israel’s capital,” according to Ofer Zalzberg, a senior analyst on Israel and Palestine at the International Crisis Group, a think tank.

U.S. Ambassador David Friedman also visited the wall in mid-December. While there, Friedman lit the Hanukkah menorah and tweeted: “Some 2,180 years ago, the Maccabees reclaimed this very site and restored Jewish ritual to the Second Temple. Awed to stand on the same hallowed ground.”

A great honor to light the Menorah at the Western Wall. Some 2,180 years ago, the Maccabees reclaimed this very site and restored Jewish ritual to the Second Temple. Awed to stand on the same hallowed ground. Happy Chanukah to all!! pic.twitter.com/vnhageusmr

The U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, followed by the visit of U.S. officials to the Western Wall, has highlighted what Palestinians say is an imbalance in the U.S. relationship with the two sides, according to Abo Sharkeia, the analyst.

“Most people feel that the U.S. cannot be trusted in peace negotiations. You cannot be involved in peace process when you support one side and not the other,” he said.

Pence, a member of an evangelical movement that has traditionally been supportive of Israel, is a particularly divisive figure for the Palestinians. He was a supporter of Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and stood behind him during the announcement.

When the vice president announced his trip to the Middle East in the fall, he said one of its purposes was to "deliver the message that it is time to bring an end to the persecution of Christians."